The moon shone brightly, and the scattered stars seemed to hide themselves.
The forest was eerily silent beneath the night sky. Not a single insect buzzed, no birds sang — as if something terrifying lurked within the mountain.
Ren Takahashi slowly regained consciousness, and the pain that had once tormented him vanished — as if it had never existed.
But all that remained in his chest was a profound despair, seething resentment, and a strange sense of numbness.
"Hahahahaha… Excellent, excellent…"
"Something truly miraculous has happened…"
"This isn't just Amaterasu… no, this is a gift from that Lord."
A green-skinned figure knelt beside Ren's body, bowing in devout reverence, hands clasped together in prayer.
"I'm going to begin!"
The moment the green-skinned demon finished speaking, pain surged through Ren's body once again, invading every inch of him.
Being buried alive — cruel, isn't it?
Ha… but what about watching yourself be eaten?
Over and over again. Unable to die. Unable to escape.
I must be the most miserable time traveler in history.
I was sent through time without warning, and before I could even make sense of it, I was discovered by a demon.
A man-eating demon.
After it attacked me, I thought I was dead. But the moment I passed out, I was dragged back by searing pain.
I hadn't died. And what's more — my body… it seemed to have changed. Something that, under any other circumstance, might've thrilled me.
But the demon was still there. And on its face was a manic joy — like Columbus discovering a New World made of flesh.
Its eyes were filled with greed, shock, and twisted excitement.
At first, I had no idea what was happening. I only knew that the same nightmare kept repeating itself like a cursed loop: I cursed, I was eaten, I passed out, I woke up in pain… I cursed again, was devoured again, blacked out again, woke up again… begged for mercy, was eaten, passed out, woke up in torment.
I didn't know if my pain threshold was increasing, or if I was simply getting used to it. But I remember one moment with perfect clarity — I watched the demon chew through my limbs, then split me open…
Just before I lost consciousness once more.
When he woke up, he found his body had returned to its original state, and the demon was carrying him through the forest once again.
He was like an endless buffet — an immortal delicacy — dragged around by the demon, hidden deep within the mountains.
Devoured day after day, Ren Takahashi had long reached his limit. The torment was unbearable, and he had already decided he wanted to die. To him, this had to be one of the punishments from the eighteen levels of hell.
'God… why are you doing this to me?'
'I was just walking home after work…'
'How the hell did I end up here?'
He hadn't eaten a single thing during all those days of being carried around by the demon. If it weren't for his body's abnormal condition, he would've starved to death long ago.
His physical wounds healed — but the hunger, the thirst, never went away.
Looking up at the demon as it fed on his flesh again, Ren couldn't help but lick his lips.
The sheer agony he had endured had begun to twist something inside his mind.
Otherwise… how could any sane person feel hunger while watching themselves being eaten?
"What's this? You wanna eat too? Haha…"
The demon's grin stretched wide as it caught the expression on Ren's face.
Even though they didn't share the same language, Ren immediately understood what the creature meant.
He closed his eyes and turned his head away. He had no intention of acknowledging it.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't you want to try it? Smells delicious, doesn't it? Hehe…"
The demon's voice, close to his ear, scraped against Ren's nerves like broken glass.
The pain, the mental pressure, the fear, the despair of not being able to live or die — it kept him teetering on the edge of collapse.
Anyone else would have gone insane long ago. But Ren Takahashi was different. Every time he passed out or drifted into unconsciousness, when he awoke, his mental state would reset. His shattered mind… repaired itself.
He couldn't even go mad. When he hit his limit, he would just faint. And when he woke again, the panic would vanish like it had never been there.
If this had been a normal isekai, he might've accomplished something great with a body like this.
But now, it was nothing more than a curse.
Seeing that Ren didn't react, the green-skinned demon's smile twisted into something even more grotesque.
It reached out, snapped Ren's arm like a twig, tore off a chunk of flesh, crushed his jaw, and shoved the bloody meat into his mouth.
Cough, cough, cough…
Blood rushed down his windpipe. Ren choked violently, unable to stop coughing.
"Swallow it! Don't waste food! Hahahaha!"
"Eat up — if that's not enough, I've got plenty more."
Ren didn't respond. He just wanted to die. Even if it was temporary — anything to escape this nightmare.
'If I survive this… I swear I'll get revenge.'
'Muzan Kibutsuji… if there's a way to kill you, then every single demon will die with you.'
In the quiet moments after the demon had eaten its fill, Ren had pieced together where he was.
Man-eating demons. Weakness to sunlight. And sometimes, the demon would mutter Japanese words like "Demon Slayer Corps" or "Hashira".
Putting it all together, Ren realized the truth: he had ended up in the world of Demon Slayer.
'I just hope the Demon Slayer Corps finds this thing soon and takes him out. There's no way I can escape alone.'
It wasn't like he hadn't tried. But the difference in power was massive. He was half-starved, his condition pitiful — how could he possibly fight a demon?
It was like pitting a child against a bodybuilder.
No… it was even worse than that.
Every attempt to escape only seemed to excite the demon, who would mock and torment him with twisted glee.
"The more you struggle, the more fun this is.""Move around more — it tastes better when you do."
After countless failed attempts, Ren gave up. Or rather… he pretended to.
Blind resistance only brought him more pain — and more amusement to the demon.
He had to try something else. Wait. Watch. Wait for the moment when the demon let its guard down.
His breathing grew weaker. His body convulsed. Blood filled his lungs. Every breath was a struggle — choking, drowning in his own fluids. But he couldn't cough it up.
His consciousness faded, everything blurring.
And then… he passed out — or perhaps, truly died for a moment.
The instant his heart stopped beating, something miraculous happened.
His missing calf and forearm regrew in just a few seconds. The meat in his mouth vanished. His shattered jaw snapped back into place, good as new.
He lay there, fully restored, as the demon stared down at him with eyes full of excitement.
"Thank the great one for making me a demon with eternal life…"
"And thank nature too, for blessing me with such a unique treasure. Now I don't even need to attack villages anymore."
"Hmph… damn Demon Slayers. When I become stronger, I'll hunt you all down."
By now, the sky had started to brighten. The sun was about to rise.
The demon glanced up, the wicked smile fading from its face. It grabbed Ren's limp body and vanished into the depths of the forest, swallowed by the shadows of the mountain.